According to the Center for Disease Control, more than one-third of people 65 and older fall each year. Falls are the foremost cause of injury deaths among older adults. Almost 16,000 adults died from injuries related to unintentional falls in 2005. Almost two million older adults were treated in emergency facilities for nonfatal injuries.

Falls have many undesirable outcomes. Approximately one-fourth of those who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries which include head trauma, fractures of the spine, hip, leg, hand and other body parts. Often people who fall, even if not injured, develop a fear of falling. This can lead to diminished activities which in turn can lead to reduced mobility and physical strength. Inadvertently, this may cause the opposite desired result and actually increase the risk of falling.

Some facts pertaining to elderly individuals falling include:

Women are more likely to suffer nonfatal fall injuries while men are more likely to die from falls. Fall-related fractures among the elderly are more than twice as high for women as for men.

Individuals 75 and older who fall are much more likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.

Little difference is noted in fatal fall rates between blacks and whites in the age group of 65 to 74 but these rates change after 75. After reaching that age, white men suffer the highest fatality rates from falls, followed by white women, black men and black women.

For more related information, click on this link: senior safety and keeping senior citizens safe

Gerri Tyber

Operations Manager, Barton Home Care

When it comes to eldercare, you’ll see that the following alert requires immediate family intervention and assistance.

We know that Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive and fatal brain disease. People with this ailment have memory, behavior and thinking problems. Alzheimer’s, insidious by its very nature, has been found even it its earliest stages to affect financial decision making and the capacity to resist fraudulent schemes.

A recent study conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham compared healthy elderly adults with elderly adults diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s. Both groups were given a number of financial planning-type tasks. These tasks ranged from simple financial concepts like identifying coins and their values to more complex ones like describing investment options and returns. Conclusions of the study determined that financial capacity is significantly impaired in patients diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s. This impairment grows exponentially in just a one-year period. Decline in the ability to perform both simple and complex tasks is significant.

If you suspect or know that a family member is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, there is an immediate need to see that financial supervision and planning is available for them.

Eldercare can be involved … this should be a priority for family members.

Gerri Tyber
Operations Manager, Barton Home Care

 Reverse mortgage proceeds can help make your home a secure environment

An interesting concept that is getting a lot of attention by our aging population is the conversion of their homes into safer environments. It’s just part of a larger movement to help people age in place. This is a more desirable choice for most aging Americans versus moving to assisted living facilities or in with other family members. Staying in one’s own home offers a sense of security and control. Most people are hesitant to give up those things.

There are many renovations and products available for safety conversions. Examples include raised dishwashers and lowered cupboards, curbless showers, slip resistant floor tile, combining full and half baths to create one large bath with easier access, or possibly turning an unused bedroom into a bath and laundry combination. There are accessibility specialists to give advice on design and equipment needed to make these changes and maintain independent living.

Certainly, there will be costs associated with these improvements, as there would be for any significant change in one’s home. Financing them may not be as difficult as might be imagined. One option could be a reverse mortgage, which enables homeowners over 62 to convert a portion of their home equity into tax-free cash. This cash can be used for streamlining one’s home for safety without requiring a monthly payment. The loan does not become due and payable until the borrower permanently moves out of the home.

For more information on reverse mortgages in the Denver area, check with Karen Barton, a reverse mortgage consultant with Wells Fargo.

Gerri Tyber
Operations Manager, Barton Home Care